Chapter 5
September 21st, 2014
S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Merchant came back to consciousness quickly, but he did not open his eyes. He stayed still, listening, evaluating his surroundings. Making a snap judgement, he opened his eyes and took in the circumstances. He was cuffed on the floor of a quinjet. Widow lay on the other side of the jet. The goggles and mask hid her face, but that was alright. They had always been able to communicate only by gestures. He glanced at her. She tilted her head.
Are you okay?
He did a quick inventory. No broken bones, minor bruising, slight headache from whatever had knocked him out. His rifle and pistol were gone, but the myriad knives, garottes, and other weapons he carried were still hidden on his person. He nodded to Widow.
I’m fine. You?
She shrugged and flicked her fingers.
I’m good. I’ll take the two up front, you get the one standing guard.’
Got it. Three, two, one
On one, Merchant dislocated his thumbs, pulling them out of the cuffs, then snapping them back in. In less than three seconds, he was out, and sprang at the blonde woman standing near the ramp. He quickly got an arm around her neck, and squeezed. From the front of the plane he heard a british voice yelp.
“What the hell!? They’re supposed to be out a couple hours! It’s barely been five minutes!”
Merchant thought this tidbit over. So his internal clock hadn’t been wrong. That was gratifying to know. He turned his attention back to the woman in his grasp. She struggled fiercely, then went limp. Merchant held on several seconds longer. When he was sure she was out, he let go. Turning around, he was just in time to see the asian woman drop to the ground, out cold. The british man was already on the floor. The two assassins grabbed their weapons and headed out.
When they had reported Whitehall’s death, Strucker had instructed them to bring him the Diviner, by any means necessary. So into the tunnels they went.
September 21st, 2014
Kree Temple
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Just as the stone slabs grinded closed, a man and woman dressed in tac gear leaped and rolled into the room, coming up with rifles ready. Despite the masks and goggles concealing their faces, Raina recognized these individuals. Merchant and Widow, two of HYDRA’s top agents. Whitehall had introduced them to her, but she had no doubts they were after the Diviner in her hands. Indeed, as soon as they spotted it, the rifles shifted to her.
Raina had no illusions that she could beat these two. She only hoped that the Diviner worked it’s magic before they killed her.
“Raina, what are you doing?” Oh. Raina had forgotten Skye was here too. “Put that down, you don’t know what it will do!”
Raina threw Skye a smile. “No, but I desperately want to find out. Don’t you?” She gasped as the Diviner floated from her hand. Skye looked nervously at it.
“Raina, stop,” she said.
Raina laughed breathlessly. “I’m not doing this, Skye. It’s out of my hands now, and there’s nothing you can do-” She glanced at the two HYDRA agents who looked just as confused as Skye. “-nothing any of us can do to stop it. This is happening whether you want it or not.”
The Diviner came to rest on the pedestal, metal sides unfurling like the petals of a flower, revealing a grouping of small white crystals. No one moved, then a cloud of white mist exploded from the crystals. Raina coughed, waving her hand in front of her face to clear the air.
An odd sensation spread up her legs, fusing them to the ground. Raina could see what looked like liquid stone pouring over Skye’s body, as well as that of the two agents. She looked down and saw the same covering her body, almost up to her breasts. As the liquid covered her face, she got one last glimpse of the room, the individuals stuck in their stone cocoons.
Skye was across the pedestal from her, reaching out, mouth open in a silent scream, hair frozen around her face. The two agents were holding each other, the man frozen pointing a pistol at the Diviner while the woman had been stuck futilely trying to scrape the cocoon off. The last thing she saw was the Diviner folding back up, before she too was encased in stone.